The Importance of Spark!

Recently decided to fire up the old Monster after the bike had been sitting for two weeks. The bike is a 2001 model- the last of the carburetor Ducati Monster, and like most carbureted bikes it does not like to be left alone for long, even two weeks is too much. Without a little love and maintenance- just like any relationship, it will let you down when you need it the most. So after getting geared up and pushing the bike out of the garage I hit the starter- chug chug-  nothing. I hit the starter again chug- chug- chug- nothing...argh! Okay I'm geared up to ride and will not be denied even if it means getting my can of starter fluid out. Chug-chug-chug ...putt putt putt putt...the engine has started but something is not right. The engine sounds tinny and thin...as a matter of a fact this happened last time. Somethin' ain't right. Anyway, I figure I'll blast out the old varnished fuel that settles into the bottom of the tank and then she'll be okay. Off we go...5 minutes into the ride and I realize even some major twisting of the throttle is not doing much. The bike is unresponsive and worse, the engine is hiccuping, sputtering on idle and sounds wrong. My bike sounds more like a Royal Enfield and not an Italian Stallion! Embarrassing.  So I go home and ponder my situation- what's wrong withg my bike? Will I need some expensive service and tuning? I go out and buy some ethanol free gas- surely the brown smelly oily liquid settling out of today's moderm fuel is not helping. I put the bike on a battery tender and pour the ethanol free fuel into the bike a few days later after draining the remaining crap fuel, which by the way looked very yellow to me, but that could be normal.  It was pointed out to me by the Ducati service area manager that he only uses ethanol free fuel in his bikes. Ethanol causes all kinds of problems from swollen fuel tanks to premature wear and hardening of gaskets and hoses. Good tip but it won't help much if you are 100 miles from home and don't have a spare fuel tank on board. At any rate, I start the bike with a bit less difficuly this time but the bike still is not right. Okay back to the garage. It was then that I realized that the first step should have been to check the plugs and the battery. I remove the plugs and sure enough they are  gas fouled...similar to  this..

Wet fouling can be caused by a spark plug not getting hot enough but in this case it is clearly caused by too much choke and hard starting. I clean the plugs with a wire brush and some starting fluid, use some very, very fine sandpaper to clean the electrodes, clean them up and put them back in. I gear up and hit the ignition- VOOM... Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat! Now that is what the bike should sound like, a roaring dragon and a machine gun doing battle! I take the bike out on the road and the difference is like night and day, the bike has come alive and is torquey and snappy as ever. The torque on this old Ducati is addictive...when you engage the clutch the bike just wants to haul ass. What a change!


So I pull the bike back into the garage after riding for an hour or so, confident that the problem is fixed and was not such a big deal. About a week later I figure it's time to get the bike out again. Try to start it, no go, try again....chug-chug....putt-putt-putt-putt-putt...  Okay bike is started, has been on a battery tender....spark plugs were good last time...I take the bike out and same symptoms as before. Take the plugs out and fuel fouled again from the hard start.


Well, it's probably time to replace the battery. Check the amps...getting a little low. Despite putting the battery on a tender regularly, this battery is at least 2-1/2 years old..probably at least 3 years..not sure since I bought the bike used. Replaced the battery and problems are gone! Old battery leads to hard starting leads to fouled plugs leads to poor performance. Take note!


Moral of the story- tend your relationship! A neglected electrical system will cause you and your bike to have problems. Take the bike out regularly,  tend the electrical system when you are not using it and spend a little money on it from time to time...otherwise it might just let you down.